"Cough, cough… well, Yahiko. Long ti no see," Obito said, reluctantly stepping forward.
Hearing his na, Yahiko turned around.
"Long ti no see, Obito," Yahiko replied with a smile.
They had only t once, but Yahiko rembered Obito clearly. Back then, Obito had talked about becoming Hokage and ending the war, and Kakuzu's intelligence also marked him as soone worth taking seriously.
"What a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here," Obito said as he walked up.
"Mm." Yahiko nodded, then suddenly laughed.
"Haha. But our reunion is a bit too early. Neither of us is famous across the shinobi world yet."
During their previous eting, they had joked that the next ti they heard of each other, they would already be legends. Clearly, they had missed that mark.
Right now, both of them were only well known in their own circles, not truly famous across the entire shinobi world.
"Aren't we on the road to fa?" Obito smirked. "If we both make it to the finals, our reputations will definitely explode."
This tournant was not like the joint Chunin Exams between villages. The Youth Martial Arts Tournant drew attention from all over. If soone took first place here, even purely from publicity alone, that would count as becoming famous in the shinobi world.
"That's true," Yahiko admitted, thinking it through. With how popular this tournant was, even the top two would receive overwhelming attention.
"Rin, have you seen my photo?" Kakashi deliberately raised his voice. "It didn't get lost, did it?"
He saw Obito getting carried away and forgetting their real goal.
"I don't think so," Rin replied, turning her head and looking around.
Obito instantly latched onto the keyword "photo." He rembered Kakashi's instruction and hurriedly asked, "Yahiko, do you know Ninja Master Sosuke, the one who organized this tournant? He's been getting ridiculously famous lately."
"Teacher Sosuke? Of course I know him." Yahiko lifted his chin, pride obvious. "I'm one of Teacher Sosuke's first followers."
"Under Teacher Sosuke's leadership, the Land of Rain is steadily improving. We're moving toward peace and stability."
Kakashi listened and fell silent, thoughts turning.
Yahiko was clearly a fanatical supporter now, and he had even joined the Shinobi Sect. Judging by the way Nagato looked at Sosuke, he was probably the sa.
The future Akatsuki becoming that evil organization that hunts Tailed Beasts is very likely connected to Sosuke, Kakashi concluded inwardly.
The current Akatsuki was too different from the future one. Such an extre transformation did not look like a natural progression. Kakashi believed the core leaders must have experienced so kind of massive turning point, sothing that forced that kind of contrast.
"Obito, how's your road to Hokage going?" Yahiko asked.
Obito scratched his head. "Still working on it."
Becoming Hokage was his dream, but he still did not know what the actual path looked like. There was no Hokage exam he could just take and pass.
"Keep it up." Yahiko's eyes were sincere. "As long as you work hard, there's definitely a chance."
Yahiko genuinely thought it would be good if Obito beca Hokage. Soone who loved peace could not be a bad person.
"Contestants, please enter the lounge to draw lots and prepare for battle," a Shinobi Sect staff mber called out from the waiting area.
Yahiko and Obito naturally ended their conversation. Obito returned to his team and followed Kakashi and the others toward the lounge.
Once inside, a staff mber brought out a large box and had the contestants draw numbered sticks one by one.
"Number one fights number two, number three fights number four, and so on," the staff mber explained. "Defeat your opponent and you advance."
The rules were straightforward, so no one bothered asking questions.
Obito looked at the wooden stick in his hand.
Thirty.
So far back, he thought, mildly annoyed.
Number thirty ant that, aside from the first round, he would be the last match in every subsequent round.
"Rin, what did you two get?" Obito asked, walking straight over. "I'm number thirty."
After everyone drew, the Shinobi Sect staff registered the numbers imdiately. There was no swapping, no changing. The information would beco public anyway.
"I'm thirteen," Rin said.
"Fifteen," Kakashi answered, concise as always.
Obito's eyes widened.
Their numbers were close. If they both advanced, Kakashi and Rin would face each other in the next round.
That inherently evil white haired guy is going to make Rin stop in the second round, Obito grumbled inwardly.
Originally, Obito thought Rin had a real chance to reach the quarterfinals. Besides Mugetsu's disciples, only Nagato had shown overwhelming suppression, and the puppeteer was still just a suspected threat.
But Rin's draw today was even worse than Obito's.
Then Obito's resentnt twisted again.
No, maybe it's Kakashi's bad luck dragging Rin down.
Rin was kind and beautiful. How could Rin have a problem? Obviously, it was Kakashi's fault.
"My number is eleven! Kakashi, our numbers are close!" Guy shouted, grinning so wide it looked painful. "Is this the bond of best friends?"
Kakashi did the math instantly, and his expression turned serious.
If he and Guy both advanced to the third round, they would et in the quarterfinals.
Too little chakra, Kakashi thought, instinctively simulating the fight. If I had more, I could use more tactics.
No Thought Strike drained him too hard. Kakashi could not use it if his chakra consumption rose even slightly, but if he avoided chakra usage entirely, creating a real opening against Guy was almost impossible.
Guy's Eight Gates stacked with Rock Breathing Chakra was not only powerful, it was fast.
In contrast, Obito's eyes lit up.
Guy was number eleven. He was number thirty.
That ant Obito could only possibly face Guy in the finals.
Kakashi could at least gamble on No Thought Strike.
Obito, right now, had no thod to deal with Guy at all. Under normal circumstances, his odds were basically zero.
"I'm nineteen," Shisui reported as he walked over.
"The elimination rounds are about to begin," the staff mber reminded. "Pay attention to the broadcast in the lounge. The match order is displayed on the screen."
The large screen lit up at once, listing the sixteen first round matches from top to bottom.
"Number one is actually Nagato." Baki's face shifted the mont he saw the first match, then he looked at his own stick.
Number two.
During the preliminaries, one Sand shinobi had been placed in Nagato's bracket, so Baki already knew Nagato was a terrifying opponent.
Nagato only glanced at the screen, then looked away, calm and indifferent.
It did not matter who he faced.
He would win until the tournant ended.
"Excels at wide range ninjutsu, primarily Wind Release and Fire Release…" Baki silently reviewed the intelligence he had heard.
He began building counterasures.
I'll keep dodging. I'll wait for him to reveal a weakness, then close in and finish it.
Baki specialized in Wind Release, but he did not chase range. He pursued destructive power, aiming for one decisive strike.
As long as he seized the right mont, he believed he could flip the situation no matter how pressured he was beforehand.
Kakashi did not search for his own opponent first. His eyes moved down the list.
"Hashori is number eight." Kakashi spotted him in the fourth match. "That's a good draw."
If Nagato and Hashori both advanced, they would et no later than the quarterfinals. At that point, neither of them would be able to keep hiding their true strength.
"First match! Number one Nagato versus number two Baki!" The referee's voice echoed into the lounge. "Contestants, enter the arena imdiately!"
Nagato greeted Konan and Yahiko, then left the lounge and headed for the central arena.
"Baki, you can do it!" Yura encouraged him.
Sunagakure had not sent many people. Only the two of them had made it to the elimination rounds. If Baki lost here, Yura would beco the last one left, and the pressure would change instantly.
"I'll do my best," Baki replied in a low voice, then walked out.
The mont he stepped into the arena, he felt countless eyes on him.
Maybe the Kazekage should've taken this more seriously, Baki thought.
If a village participated, it should do so properly, or not at all. This half hearted presence made it look like Sunagakure was weak, with only two shinobi reaching the elimination rounds and no guarantee of how long they would last.
From the high platform, Hanzo narrowed his eyes as he watched Nagato, unpleasant mories stirring.
That day, if Nagato had been weaker, and if Kakuzu had not been there, perhaps his encirclent plan would not have collapsed into total defeat.
Hanzo sighed softly.
No. It would not have been a total defeat, but it still would have failed.
Even if he were reborn and tried again, he still would not be certain he could kill Sosuke.
Opposing soone like Sosuke was just asking for trouble.
If I were reborn, Hanzo thought bitterly, I'd kick Danzo out the door, then give Sosuke a title to make him famous.
That way, not only would they avoid becoming enemies, he would even be half a rank higher as the one who "bestowed" the title.
In the stands, Root mbers quietly took out notebooks, ready to record Nagato's information.
Kitsuchi shook his head when he saw that.
Having witnessed that encirclent, he knew Nagato's strength was abnormal. Nagato had already surpassed the category of ordinary shinobi.
The mont Kitsuchi learned Nagato was competing, he knew the Shinobi Sect would never allow outsiders to take the first place prize.
In the lounge, the other contestants focused on the arena.
In shinobi battles, intelligence mattered. Watching other matches was part of the tournant itself.
The more details you could extract, the more advantage you had later.
"Begin!" the referee shouted the mont both contestants were ready.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Baki did not rush forward. He did not retreat blindly either. Instead, he pulled out shuriken and hurled them at Nagato, probing.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Nagato used the sa approach as the preliminaries, relying on his massive chakra reserves to suppress with wide range ninjutsu.
He compressed a large amount of Wind Release chakra into a small sphere and spat it out.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The instant it left his mouth, it detonated into a violent gale.
The compressed wind burst into a terrifying storm, shredding the arena floor. Dirt and stone exploded upward, dust filling the air.
It's actually this strong, Baki realized, alard.
Hearing information was nothing compared to seeing it with your own eyes. Now he understood why that Sand shinobi had been subtly afraid.
This Wind Release was terrifying.
Baki poured out all his chakra and retreated as fast as he could.
Right now, he could only avoid the edge and look for an opening, which was his original plan anyway.
Luckily, the arena was wide enough. Baki's decisive retreat carried him out of Nagato's attack range.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!"
Nagato's expression did not change. He continued forming hand seals.
Mugetsu had taught him many high level techniques of the five basic natures.
This was only the beginning.
Rumble. Rumble.
The ground shook violently.
The earth on both sides split open and surged upward, pressing inward like jaws, aiming to crush Baki between them.
Baki did not hesitate.
He burst out with speed beyond his limit and barely slipped out, escaping being turned into paste.
"Earth Flow Divide isn't very useful in this situation," Kitsuchi comnted, watching closely.
Earth Flow Divide was his own specialty technique. Unless the opponent was huge, or soone restrained them, the hit rate was questionable.
But the power was undeniable. If it landed, Kitsuchi believed very few people in the shinobi world could endure it.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Fla Bullet!"
As Baki escaped the crushing earth, a fierce sea of flas erupted around him, cutting off every direction.
It trapped him completely.
"Nagato wins!" the referee declared.
Baki wiped the hot sweat off his face. There was no resentnt in him.
He was utterly convinced.
The gap in strength was too wide.
From the start, Nagato had been herding him around the field. Finding Nagato's weakness the way he imagined was unrealistic. Just surviving the pressure of Nagato's barrage had already drained him dry.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 10–50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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